hello . . . is there anybody in there?
Hello to anyone left out there reading. I decided to take the month of February off from blogging because I had a lot I wanted to accomplish in a very short month, made even shorter by the fact that I took the last few days off for vacation.
But now I'm back and hoping to get back into the blogging swing of things. And I'm starting off with a bang. Check these out:
These, ladies and gentlemen, are my very first toe-up socks. And I knit them in just ONE MONTH. That's right--whole pair of socks, new technique, one month.
Do you think there's some kind of illness you can get that makes you knit faster and more productively? I hope I'm never cured.
Now, on with the FO post:
Pattern: Lace and Cable Socks by Wendy Johnson, from her fabulous book Socks from the Toe Up
Needles: Size 1.5, Addis
Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Smaller Yellow Ant
As I said, these were my first ever toe-up socks. I opted for Judy's Magic Cast On, and boy do I love it. So simple! Almost foolproof. Quick to start and creates a gorgeous, comfy toe. Highly recommend.
Other than the cast on, the socks were rather uneventful--the pattern is clear, the yarn was a DREAM to work with (just look at that color!), and I can't report any problems that were not my own stupidity. Such as, I made the feet too long, so the socks are actually a bit big for me.
I finished the first sock and immediately cast on for the second before Second Sock System could take hold. But when I got to what should've been the end of the second sock, I realized I had a lot of yarn left. So I added another pattern repeat. Which means I had to go back to the first sock, rip back and add another pattern repeat there too. It was daunting--I tried that technique where you pick the stiches up first, then rip out (as seen in the third photo here). It wasn't without its errors, but I managed to get all the stitches back on needles and continue on my merry way. I'm quite glad I did, as these socks are the perfect length.
For that tricky cuff bind off--want to make sure it's stretchy!--I tried Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind off. What do you think?
Looks pretty good, huh? A sewn bind off is also quite stretchy, but it doesn't look nearly as good in my opinion. This actually has a bit of an arty flair to it. And it lives up to its name, plenty of stretch.
And now I'm itching to cast on for another pair of toe-up socks! I've wound some Madeline Tosh sock yarn so I can get started, but unfortunately the pattern calling out to me is cuff down. What to do, what to do?
I have a few other projects to show you guys, most importantly my completed Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest that I started forever ago and completed for WIPs-dancing ing Ravelympics. But I'm waiting on buttons, so we'll save that for another post.
But now I'm back and hoping to get back into the blogging swing of things. And I'm starting off with a bang. Check these out:
These, ladies and gentlemen, are my very first toe-up socks. And I knit them in just ONE MONTH. That's right--whole pair of socks, new technique, one month.
Do you think there's some kind of illness you can get that makes you knit faster and more productively? I hope I'm never cured.
Now, on with the FO post:
Pattern: Lace and Cable Socks by Wendy Johnson, from her fabulous book Socks from the Toe Up
Needles: Size 1.5, Addis
Yarn: Sanguine Gryphon Bugga! in Smaller Yellow Ant
As I said, these were my first ever toe-up socks. I opted for Judy's Magic Cast On, and boy do I love it. So simple! Almost foolproof. Quick to start and creates a gorgeous, comfy toe. Highly recommend.
Other than the cast on, the socks were rather uneventful--the pattern is clear, the yarn was a DREAM to work with (just look at that color!), and I can't report any problems that were not my own stupidity. Such as, I made the feet too long, so the socks are actually a bit big for me.
I finished the first sock and immediately cast on for the second before Second Sock System could take hold. But when I got to what should've been the end of the second sock, I realized I had a lot of yarn left. So I added another pattern repeat. Which means I had to go back to the first sock, rip back and add another pattern repeat there too. It was daunting--I tried that technique where you pick the stiches up first, then rip out (as seen in the third photo here). It wasn't without its errors, but I managed to get all the stitches back on needles and continue on my merry way. I'm quite glad I did, as these socks are the perfect length.
For that tricky cuff bind off--want to make sure it's stretchy!--I tried Jenny's Surprisingly Stretchy Bind off. What do you think?
Looks pretty good, huh? A sewn bind off is also quite stretchy, but it doesn't look nearly as good in my opinion. This actually has a bit of an arty flair to it. And it lives up to its name, plenty of stretch.And now I'm itching to cast on for another pair of toe-up socks! I've wound some Madeline Tosh sock yarn so I can get started, but unfortunately the pattern calling out to me is cuff down. What to do, what to do?
I have a few other projects to show you guys, most importantly my completed Wicked Eyelet Rib Vest that I started forever ago and completed for WIPs-dancing ing Ravelympics. But I'm waiting on buttons, so we'll save that for another post.